One explanation for the milder COVID-19 disease presentation in children may be that children have a qualitatively different response to the SARS-CoV2 virus to adults (1). Another possibility is the common simultaneous presence of additional viruses in the mucosa of lungs and airways of young children...
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SOLIDARITY TRIAL: WHO COVID-19 treatment trial
In an unprecedented effort to obtain scientific data during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the new SOLIDARITY trial that would include thousands of patients from around the world (45 countries and counting)...
Could blood groups influence COVID-19 disease severity?
Biological factors that determine susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and severity of COVID-19 are yet to be fully understood. A pre-print released in medRxiv by Zhao et al suggests that the ABO blood grouping may influence acquisition of COVID-19 and severity of the disease.
Why are hypertension and diabetes patients at high risk of severe COVID-19?
Retrospective analysis of COVID-19 patient history showed that 12-22% and 23-30% of severe COVID-19 patients also had diabetes and hypertension, respectively. This and other reports suggest that hypertension and diabetes are associated with a high risk of severe COVID-19.
The Origin of SARS-CoV-2
Andersen et al have described the genomic structure of SARS-CoV-2. Notably, the virus has a receptor binding domain consisting of 6 amino acids which not only differentiates it from SARS-CoV but also confers it with ability to bind human or human-like Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-1 (ACE2) with high affinity.
Does COVID-19 have a seasonal pattern?
Since the SARS-CoV-2 virus started to circulate in the different countries that the COVID-19 pandemic has reached, a possible seasonal pattern in the presentation of the disease has been hypothesized. T study the seasonality of diseases, researchers normally focus on several factors...
Broad-spectrum Antiviral Inhibits SARS-CoV-2
27 MarchSheahan et al recently pre-published a paper that states that ribonucleoside analog β-D-N4-hydroxycytidine (NHC, EIDD-1931) has broad spectrum antiviral activity against SARS-CoV 2, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and related zoonotic group 2b or 2c Bat-CoV.
Hypothetical pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans
Lin et al., 2020 have described a hypothetical model of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis based on the immune response against SARS, MERS and influenza infection. In all cases, lymphopenia accompanied by the cytokine storm syndrome...
COVID-19 – Cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression
Mehat, P. et al recently stated that there is accumulating evidence suggests that a subgroup of patients with severe COVID-19 might have cytokine storm syndrome. Immunosuppression treatment could help severe COVID-19 patients.
WORLD TB DAY: COVID-19 & TB
Recently, published pre-print by Chen et al., 2020, suggests that M.tb infection (Latent Tuberculosis) and TB disease are also potential risk factors for COVID-19 disease and may predispose individuals to severe disease. More studies are required to confirm this, as well as to determine which other infectious diseases increase your risk of having severe COVID-19.